The Talk
by reading
Summary: Part 3 - Seth's turn. Kind of.
1. Default Chapter

_The Talk_

_Disclaimer: I knowthis is never going to happen this way, OK? I know that if it ever happens at all, it will be nowhere near this conversation. But this is my little fan fiction world, and if I can get it out of my system, maybe I'll be able to stop obsessing over it. Thanks for indulging me. :)_

_Set after "The SnO.C."_

_xxxx_

Kirsten rinsed out her glass and put it in the dishwasher. She turned around as Ryan and Sandy came back into the kitchen. Sandy had an arm around Ryan's shoulders and they were both smiling.

"So," Kirsten opened. "Lindsey seems nice."

Ryan ducked out from under Sandy's arm and opened the refrigerator.

"Yeah." He pulled out a carton of orange juice. Kirsten handed him a glass. "She's cool." He was clearly going for "cool" himself, but the slightly goofy smile on his face ruined the effect.

The adults exchanged amused glances.

"I take it this is the girl Seth was talking about?" Sandy leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest.

Ryan nodded, and to Sandy's surprise, slid onto one of the bar stools. He'd expected a bolt for the pool house.

"Yeah."

"So, what happened with the SnO.C.?" Kirsten asked.

Ryan shrugged. "D.J. showed up, and I …"

"Wait. Who is DJ?"

Ryan smirked. "He's Marissa's latest inappropriate boyfriend."

Sandy raised an eyebrow at Kirsten. Ryan seemed singularly unconcerned.

"Yeah. He makes me look good." Ryan grinned slyly at Sandy. "Mrs. Cooper told me how nice I looked tonight when she thought Marissa and I were back together."

Kirsten looked shocked. And less than pleased.

"But you're not." She made it a statement.

"No. Definitely not. When DJ got there I went over to Lindsey's and …"

Sandy was confused. "Why didn't you ask her in the first place?"

"I did, but she turned me down. And then Marissa and I decided to go together as friends. And _then_ Lindsey said she did want to go, but…"

Ryan told Sandy and Kirsten the rest of the story much to their delight. When he finished, Kirsten took his empty glass and added it to the dishwasher.

"So, the two of you are dating?"

"Yeah. You know. Hanging out."

Kirsten looked at Sandy.

"I'm happy for you, sweetie."

She paused. "Ryan…"

He turned toward her, questioning.

"When the two of you are in the pool house together, I want all the blinds up."

Ryan's face fell, hurt and embarrassed, a flush creeping into his cheeks. Sandy took a step toward her, "Honey…"

"No. Sandy. Ryan. Honey, I'm sorry, but…we can't go back to the way we handled things last year."

She reached out to touch his arm, and Ryan shrugged slightly, avoiding her touch.

"Sure. No. I understand. You don't trust me after…." His head dropped between his shoulders.

Kirsten hated the change in his demeanor. Just seconds before he'd been alight with happiness. And now. She'd made him unhappy and ashamed.

"Ryan, it's not that. We should have set some boundaries when you moved in. I don't know that it would have changed what happened with Theresa. I mean, I know that you've been sexually active."

Sandy would not have thought it possible for Ryan to turn a brighter shade of red, but the words "sexually active" out of Kirsten's mouth lit him up like a Christmas tree.

"But, I need you know that I don't think it's appropriate for a boy your age to be having sex. You're too young, Ryan. I know that I can't stop you from having sex. But I'm not going to give tacit approval to it by providing you with an easy place to do it. I don't know what you relationship with Lindsey is like, what you guys have…"

Ryan's head shot up. "We haven't done anything!" He looked first at Kirsten and then at Sandy. "We just… We haven't… We just kissed."

If the earth had opened up and swallowed him whole, Ryan wouldn't have complained. How had he gotten here? Talking about his sex – or lack of sex – life with Kirsten and Sandy?

"Honey, I…"

Kirsten stopped.

"I didn't mean to quiz you about your personal life. I just…"

She stopped again, swallowing her frustration. This wasn't coming out the way she'd intended at all. Ryan sat stiffly on his stool, refusing to look at her, a picture of affronted teenaged mortification.

She took a deep breath and started again.

"I don't know what your mom said to you about sex." Ryan shrugged a shoulder, eyes on the counter, desperate for the conversation to be over. His mom had never said anything to him about sex. Just smacked the crap out of him when she'd caught him sneaking out of Theresa's window one night. He'd found a box of condoms on his bed the next day. No words necessary.

"I just… I want you to be careful. There are consequences to sex…"

Now Ryan shot her a sullen look. _Tell me something I don't already know_, it said.

"I'm not just talking about pregnancy, Ryan. Or STDs, for that matter – the physical repercussions." She moved closer to him, and leaned against the counter, hands flat on its cold surface.

"There are emotional consequences, as well. I don't care what your buddies have told you or what you see on television or in the movies – it isn't ever 'just,'" she made air quotes with her fingers, "sex."

She sighed.

"Sex is … special. It should be special. It should be shared between a man and a woman who love each other, who are committed to each other for the long term." She paused, struggling to find words that might touch him or make his see how much she wanted what was best for him – even in this area of his life.

"I know that sex offers… pleasure," now Kirsten started to turn pink, "and a feeling of comfort, of intimacy, even when it's casual." Another deep breath. "But all that is temporary. When you're committed to someone… there's nothing in the world like being intimate with someone you trust completely; who you know will always be there; who loves you unconditionally." Her eyes went to Sandy's, and for a moment, there were only the two of them in the room.

Ryan risked a cautious glance up in the silence that descended, and saw, briefly, the look they exchanged. The intensity and the passion he saw, even in that short glimpse made him blush – with embarrassment, and a certain kind of longing.

"I want that for you. I want that for Seth. And whether you believe it or not, every physical encounter you have with a girl ultimately follows you to the next encounter. When you really fall in love, when you find that woman you want to spend the rest of your life with, every girl you've slept with will have an emotional effect – to one extent or another – on your physical relationship with your wife. The same way every man she's slept with will be some sort of issue."

Ryan watched her out of the corner of his eye, absorbing what she said. He nodded hesitantly. He didn't know if he agreed with her or not. But he would consider it. His eyes went to Sandy, who had stood silently by, listening.

Kirsten's words were a revelation to him. What did it say, he wondered, that he hadn't really understood her feelings about this? He felt a pang of uncertainty over his "talk" with Seth. Not really the same message, he had to admit. He looked at Kirsten's serious face, and he nodded, backing her up.

"Kirsten's right, Ryan." Ryan gave him a doubtful, actually incredulous look, and Sandy realized that Seth had probably told him of their own conversation. He cringed internally.

"I may not have done a very good job when I talked to Seth about … sex." Kirsten looked at him curiously. Sandy avoided her gaze. Damage control later. With both her and Seth. He paused as he considered his next words to Ryan, his coming talk with Seth.

"Sex is something that shouldn't be undertaken lightly or casually. And I don't want either of you boys thinking that we believe it's OK for you to be having sex at your age. The rule isn't 'no sex in the house,' OK? It's 'no sex.' Period." He looked at Kirsten and smiled slightly at her surprised, pleased expression. "Are we clear?"

Ryan's mouth dropped open.

"We're going to deal with it the same way we would if you were doing anything else against the rules, got it? You know that if we ever catch you drinking, you'll be punished, right?" Ryan nodded. "If we find out you're having sex, same thing goes. We'll be incredibly disappointed, and you'll be grounded." Frankly, Sandy thought the disappointment card might go farther with Ryan than the grounding, but he wanted both on the table as possibilities.

"Understood?"

Numbly, Ryan nodded.

Kirsten took Ryan's chin in her hand and turned his face toward hers. "This is because we love you, OK? I know you don't believe me right now, but it is." His eyes met hers, and he nodded again, doubtful and a little confused, but knowing that she didn't lie to him. She released him with a smile, and he got off the stool, heading for the door.

"Oh, and Ryan…." He paused and turned.

"If it's any consolation, we'll be having this exact same conversation with Seth when he gets home tonight, too."

He stared at her for a beat before he grinned.

"Can I listen?"

_The End._


	2. part 2

_The Talk, part deux._

_Thanks for the reviews, and the suggestions for a second chapter! I'd love to do the Seth talk, but I don't feel very sure of my "Seth voice," so I'm going to have to work toward that._

_But famous99 suggested a "talk" after Kirsten walks in on Ryan and Lindsay, and I couldn't get that out of my head. This is the result._

_Still very AU. Or at least very AU in the tweaking of the Kandy sex stance. I hope the rest is in character._

_xxxx_

"Oh, my God."

The sound of Kirsten's voice snapped Ryan out of the kissing-induced haze he was floating in – the feel of Lindsay's lips against his, her hands on his back, the soft skin of her belly brushing against his. His head whipped around, and he stared at the shocked face of Kirsten at his door.

She turned and walked out.

"Crap!" Ryan rolled off Lindsay, meeting her flustered, humiliated eyes. "Oh, my God," he moaned, dropping his head into his hands, and trying to steady his breathing.

xxxx

Kirsten was halfway back to the house when she stopped. Heart pounding in surprise and embarrassment, she forced herself to think. She couldn't ignore this, no matter how much she wanted the situation just to go away. She'd walked in on them and she couldn't pretend like she hadn't. Slowly, she turned and walked back to the pool house.

xxxx

When she opened the door again, Kirsten was greeted by quite a different scene. They were still on the bed, but no longer touching each other. Both were sitting up, and Lindsay had her arms wrapped around her almost bare torso, hair falling over her face, hiding her from view. Ryan had his head bowed, too, but it was turned toward the girl next to him. Their heads came up simultaneously when Kirsten entered.

"Get dressed," she said softly.

She stood, arms folded, while the two teenagers scrambled off the bed and shrugged back into their clothes. Neither would meet her eyes.

"Go on inside. Wait for me in the den."

She stood aside as they eased past her, and she saw tears on Lindsay's face, a muscle twitching in Ryan's jaw. She sighed, giving herself a moment before she followed them. _What in the world could she possible say?_

They were sitting on opposite ends of the sofa, heads still down, although Kirsten noticed that Ryan kept darting quick glances in Lindsay's direction.

Kirsten perched on the edge of the chair that faced them, unconsciously twisting the rings on her fingers as she struggled with the right words.

"This is not acceptable."

She chose to focus on the child that was her particular responsibility. "Ryan, Sandy and I told you what our expectations are for you. We told you that there would be consequences for not living up to them."

Ryan started, "We haven't…. We didn't…." Kirsten took in Ryan's flaming face, glanced at Lindsay, who, if anything, seemed to have hunched in even more firmly on herself.

"Lindsay?" She said it gently.

The veil of red hair undulated softly as she shook her head no.

"O.K." Kirsten considered.

"Well, it looked pretty … serious." She gave Ryan a piercing look, and his gaze faltered, cheeks heating as he glanced at Lindsay.

"The rule is blinds up when the two of you are in there together." She looked at Lindsay. "Do you understand that now, too, Lindsay?" The hair moved again, this time affirmatively. "Would you look at me, please?"

Lindsay brought her head up enough that her hair parted slightly, allowing Kirsten a glimpse of her face.

"I'm going to have to talk to your mother about this." Kirsten watched both kids cringe, but decided that a united front from the parents might help. "We need to be able to trust the two of you alone."

Tears leaked out of Lindsay's eyes. She hated it – this tendency to cry when she was embarrassed or angry. She wasn't really sure right now which of those emotions she was feeling. Mostly humiliation, she guessed. It was so frustrating to feel the prick of tears and be unable to stop them. She sniffed and jutted her chin out, determined to stop.

A sudden chill hit her. "Are you going to tell my… your… Caleb?" Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ryan stiffen.

Kirsten actually snorted. "No," she said derisively. "It's none of his business," she added icily.

Lindsay nodded gratefully. She didn't care what Caleb thought, but she hated the idea of him having any kind of right to know anything about her life. She liked that Kirsten seemed to agree with her.

"Lindsay, I don't know what your mom has said to you about sex," Kirsten began.

Ryan's head shot up.

_Oh, God, no. _If he'd been flushed before, the horror of Kirsten's words left him chilled as all the blood rushed out of his face. _She wasn't really going to… She couldn't possibly think …._

"… but Sandy and I have made it clear to Ryan – and Seth – that we think that they – and you – are too young to be having sex. The rule at our house is…"

Ryan groaned aloud, burying his face in his knees and covering his head with his arms as Kirsten uttered the words. "… no sex."

Lindsay, eyes wide, stared at Kirsten, and then shot a quick look at Ryan.

"Really?"

Still hiding his face in mortification, Ryan nodded his head against his jeans.

"Kirsten," she said softly, "we weren't really going to…. We just got a little carried away, and…." She was blushing furiously, looking down again.

Kirsten smothered an understanding, but still exasperated sigh.

"Getting carried away is what I'm concerned about." She was talking to the top of two heads – one sandy blonde, one red. "I trust you both. I do. I trust your good intentions. But there's such a thing as not putting yourselves in situations that are going to lead to trouble. If I insist that the blinds be up when you're in the pool house, or that you study at the kitchen table, it's because if the blinds are drawn and you're studying on Ryan's bed, it's easier to start something that can too easily lead to a place where it becomes very difficult to back out. For both of you."

Drawing another deep breath, she paused.

"Can I trust the two of you to respect the boundaries we have?"

They both nodded.

"OK, then." Kirsten stood up. "Lindsay, did you drive?"

Lindsay shook her head.

"Go get your stuff. I'll drive you home."

"I'll take her." Ryan stood.

"No. I'll take her." She gave him a steady look. "I don't want you leaving the house for the rest of the night."

Ryan was incredulous. "Am I grounded?"

Lindsay sensing the abrupt escalation in tension, slipped past them both, escaping.

"We didn't even _do_ anything!"

Kirsten arched an eyebrow at him.

"We didn't have _sex_," he cried. "You guys said no _sex_!"

"We didn't set that limit so that you could see how close you could get!" Her voice was clipped.

Kirsten wasn't sure what shifted, but clearly something had. All things considered, it hadn't been too horrible a conversation with her son and her sister after having walked in on them half-naked immersed in a heavy make out session All things considered. Now, suddenly, Ryan was angry at this slightest of restrictions and she was furious that he would push back.

"I…" He tried to say something else, but Kirsten cut him off. She resented having to be the hard-ass. She wasn't that person, but when forced, she could be. It didn't mean she liked it, though, and it tended to make her short tempered. Something else she hated. But she'd had enough of him and the whole mess for the moment, and she put on her hard-ass hat with a snap.

"I'm not having this conversation with you right now." She noticed Lindsay hovering uncertainly in the doorway and beckoned her in, shooing her with a sweep of her arm toward the front door. "I expect you to be here when I get back. Is that understood?"

Ryan's jaw set mulishly, and his expression took on a look Kirsten could only assume he'd learned from Seth.

"Ryan."

"Yeah," he muttered darkly. She narrowed her eyes at him, and he switched his response. "Yes, ma'am."

If she was surprised he'd ma'am'ed her, she didn't show it. "I won't be long."

He nodded sullenly and stalked out toward the pool house.

xxxx

Lindsay was standing by the passenger door of the Range Rover when Kirsten walked outside. Kirsten punched the button on the remote, and the truck chirped at her as it obediently popped its locks.

The first part of the drive was spent in silence. Not a comfortable one. Sitting at a red light, Kirsten turned to the motionless girl in the seat next to her

She bit her lip trying to figure out how best to start.

"Lindsay, I'm sorry for…," she tapered off. _What? What was she sorry for?_ Lindsay didn't say anything, just watched her solemnly, eyes questioning. Kirsten looked back through the front windshield.

"I guess I'm sorry for having to be the mom, back there, when what I really want to be is your sister." She met Lindsay's eyes briefly. Kirsten laughed kind of shakily. "It really is all so weird, isn't it?"

The light changed, and Kirsten started through the intersection.

"It's alright," Lindsay said softly.

"I just want you to know that I want to figure out a way to be your big sister and the mother of your boyfriend. I just don't have any idea what I'm doing. OK?" She slanted a smile at Lindsay, who returned it hesitantly. "I hope you'll be patient with me."

Lindsay watched Kirsten's profile as they drove. She was so beautiful. Lindsay knew that Kirsten had been hurt terribly, too, by their father's admission. And yet, she still reached out to a girl who was living proof of her father's betrayal of her mother.

"I've never been part of a family before. Not really. I mean, just me and my mom." Kirsten didn't respond, letting Lindsay feel her way. "I just mean…. I don't know what I'm doing either," she finished.

She saw the smile touch Kirsten's face.

"Let's make a deal, then, OK?" Kirsten said. Lindsay nodded. "We'll promise to be patient with each other and cut each other some slack."

"Deal."

The silence now was more comfortable, if still slightly strained.

When they pulled up in front of Lindsay's house, Kirsten unbuckled her seatbelt and turned fully to Lindsay.

"Before you go, let me just say one more thing."

Lindsay paused, hand already on the door handle. She swiveled around. "OK," she said hesitantly.

"I know you have a mother. But, I hope that you'll remember that I'm here for you. Whatever you need. You're my sister, even if we found out later than we should have, and that will never change." She reached out and took Lindsay's chin in her hand. "I know that we don't know each other at all yet, but that doesn't mean I don't already love you."

Lindsay blinked at Kirsten, eyes filling. She nodded, unable to respond.

Kirsten released her, touching a quick hand to her cheek. "I take my responsibility as a big sister very seriously." She looked at Lindsay ruefully, "Too seriously, Hailey would probably say, so be warned."

Lindsay surprised both of them by laughing. "OK."

"Goodnight, sweetie." She hesitated. "I'll call your mom tomorrow."

Lindsay swallowed and nodded. "'K. Night."

xxxx

Ryan sat on the floor, leaning back against his bed, scowling as he slammed through Halo 2, more interested in destruction than winning. He was so intent on the game, he jumped when the pool house door eased open.

"Hey." Kirsten stood on the threshold. "Can we talk a minute?"

Ryan shrugged almost imperceptibly, eyes stubbornly on the screen in front of him.

Kirsten came the rest of the way into the room. This was new for them. Ryan had never really sulked with her before. She'd had plenty of time to think on the drive back, and as she'd replayed the last bit of her conversation with the kids and then specifically with Ryan, she'd realized where she'd made her error. Gingerly, she sat on one of the chairs.

"I want to apologize to you."

Ryan's hands stilled on the controller, and while his eyes stayed straight ahead, she could tell she had his attention.

"I shouldn't have said that about your staying in the house for the night. And I especially shouldn't have said it in front of Lindsay. That was thoughtless of me and I'm sorry."

Ryan's head went down slightly and he seemed to be studying the remote. Kirsten was content to wait while he processed what she'd said.

"It's OK." Now he looked at her. "I'm sorry I yelled."

She smiled at him a little sadly. "It's OK. It was a stressful conversation. For all of us."

He nodded, eyes back on the television.

"Well." She stood up. "Goodnight, Ryan."

"Night."

She opened the door and was about to step out when he said softly, "You want to play?"

Kirsten turned, the heaviness in her heart lightening. He was jiggling the second controller in his hand and reached it out hesitantly toward her.

He grinned shyly. "It's a good stress reliever."

_End._


	3. part 3

_The Talk, part 3_

_OK, here's an attempt at a talk for Seth. This is set after "The SnO.C."_

_xxxx_

Ryan checked the clock by his bed and then peered through the pool house windows toward the house. 12:55, lights still on. Seth had five minutes before curfew. Ryan weighed his options. Maybe he'd just go over and get a glass of water, check out the Late, Late Show. Yeah, he grinned to himself, that's the ticket.

He'd just poured himself some juice when he heard the front door open. Ryan bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing as he leaned against the counter waiting for Seth to come in.

"Dude!" Seth was grinning from ear to ear. He held up a hand for a high five, and Ryan obliged him.

"What's that for?" Ryan asked, genuinely curious.

Seth bobbed his head up and down, a smug smile peeking out. "Oh, nothing. Just a little make out time with…," he paused for dramatic effect, and Ryan raised his eyebrows at him.

"Summer?" Ryan guessed. He finally noticed the black eye. "Did she give you that?" he asked, pointing.

"What?" Seth brought his hand up to his fact. "Oh, this? No, Zach punched me."

"What? Why?" Ryan was distracted – for the moment – from his anticipation of Seth getting the sex talk from Kirsten.

"He showed up at the SnO.C., and saw Summer and me, and just…" Seth had started a rambling explanation, but drew himself up short. "No! No, that's not what I want to talk about! The making out, that's…" He couldn't contain himself any longer. "Alex!" he blurted. "I made out with Alex!" He pumped his arms into the air. "Ask me what happened?"

"What happened, buddy?" Ryan was reminded forcefully of what Seth was about to face, and in light of Seth's evening, it made the coming conversation even sweeter in Ryan's mind. He grinned encouragingly, resisting the urge to snicker.

"Hey, guys." Sandy's sudden appearance stopped Seth cold.

"Father."

"Ryan, we need to talk to Seth." Sandy said. His eyes went from Seth's flushed face to Ryan's gleeful expression.

"Uh, sure." Ryan started toward the stairs. "I'll just wait in Seth's room." There was no way that he could eavesdrop if went outside – stupid windows everywhere. But he knew if he could get around the corner into the living room….

"Ryan." Kirsten knew exactly what he was up to and gave him a mock scowl. "Pool house."

He froze, busted. "Oh." He turned and slouched toward the back door, glancing reproachfully at Kirsten through lowered lashes as he went past her, pouting. She smothered a smile.

"Close the door," she said as he walked through it. He obeyed, but made a face at her briefly through its glass before turning and sprinting back to the pool house. She shook her head.

"Seth, sit down. Your mother and I have something we need to discuss with you."

Seth had watched the exchange between his mother and Ryan with bemusement, and he was still confused as he climbed on to one of the bar stools.

"Is everything OK?" he asked.

"Yeah," Sandy scoffed. "Yeah, everything's fine."

Sandy looked at Kirsten, who leaned back against the counter, crossing her arms over her chest. She returned his glance coolly.

_Yeah, _he thought.

"Listen. Your mother and I had a talk with Ryan this evening about…," Sandy looked at Kirsten, who again just stared at him. "Well, about sex." Seth's mouth dropped open. "And about what our expectations are for you boys about sex." The idea of his parents trying to give Ryan a sex talk boggled his mind. Seth choked.

"You guys talked to Ryan about sex!" He started to laugh. "Did he have any pointers? No wait. On second thought, I don't …"

"Seth!" Sandy's voice cracked across the kitchen, startling his son. "That's enough."

Seth stilled, surprised by his father's tone and by the angry glances exchanged by his parents.

"This is not funny, Seth." Kirsten spoke quietly, but her voice was sharp.

"Sorry," Seth mumbled. _What the hell?_

Sandy ran a hand through his hair. "Seth, when I said 'listen' a minute ago, I meant 'listen,' OK? Don't talk. Just listen. You'll have a chance to respond, but I need to get some things on the table before you start speaking." He gave Seth a look.

"OK." Seth conceded in an aggrieved voice. He'd thought the make-out session with Alex would be a great end to the evening. No such luck.

Sandy paused. There was no easy way to do this.

"You're mother and I have decided to lay down some rules for you and Ryan about sex and what we expect from you boys in that area of your lives."

Seth's eyes shifted to his mother. She was watching his father.

"Dad, we've…"

"Seth, _listen_," Sandy snapped.

Scowling, Seth lifted a shoulder, and subsided.

"After our talk with Ryan, I talked to your mother about the conversation I had with you last year."

Seth's mouth fell open. He shot a horrified glance at his mother. Kirsten gave him the same expressionless stare she'd been giving Sandy, and arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow at him.

Seth turned crimson, and Kirsten felt a surge of satisfaction at having managed to fluster her usually overconfident – with his parents anyway – son.

Rendered speechless at this development, Seth dropped his head onto the counter. _Oh my God_, he thought.

"In hindsight," Sandy continued, "that now seems to have been a remarkably inappropriate conversation to have had with my 16-year-old son." Sandy felt his cheeks heat slightly at the memory of Kirsten's reaction.

"_Honey, I was just proud of him," he'd tried._

"_Proud of him?" she'd exclaimed. "Proud of him? Because he'd lost his virginity?" She'd gaped at him, stunned._

"_Yes. No! Of course not. It was just… He'd gotten the girl. He'd gotten Summer. He'd finally…" Sandy trailed off. "I don't know."_

_Kirsten stared at her husband, struggling with what he was saying. She knew, in her heart, that there was more to this for Sandy than just Seth's getting Summer. She knew it wasn't the "conquest" he was proud of. That wasn't him. _

"_He'd finally what?" Kirsten started softly. "He'd finally made it? He'd finally hit that mark that defines coolness among teenage boys? Seth was finally cool?"_

_Sandy stared at her. No. That couldn't be it. That couldn't be the explanation for the thrill he'd felt at Seth's revelation – the pride, the feeling of accomplishment that his son had become a "man." He didn't care that Seth wasn't one of the "cool" kids; he didn't want his son to fit in here among the pod people. And yet… He remembered the rush of pleasure he'd felt as he'd helped Ryan with his tie. When Ryan, this hurting boy, this stranger, had declared Seth "cool," his eyes meeting Sandy's briefly before they'd skittered off, unwilling – or unable – to hold the contact for long. Here was someone who recognized his son's worth, who saw the interesting, funny kid Sandy knew that he was. And Sandy had been thrilled._

"_Sandy…"_

_He wouldn't meet her eyes. "I'll talk to him."_

"So, I think that we need to re-visit the subject of sex."

Seth groaned. "Please, no. I get it, I do. Sex is bad. I won't do it again. Can I go now?"

"Seth." In spite of himself, Sandy was amused. Even Kirsten had the ghost of a smile on her face.

"Honey, sex isn't bad."

"Mom, please, I'm begging you." Seth had put his hands over his ears.

Kirsten reached out and tugged, pulling one free. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. The sooner you let us say this, the sooner you get to go. I assure you, we are having this conversation. Tonight."

Defeated, Seth lowered his hands. "OK. Go. Just please, make it fast."

xxxx

When it was over, Seth fled to the pool house, seeking out his fellow victim and, evidently, his parents' accomplice in sex talk crime.

"You are so dead."

Ryan was grinning when the door opened.

"So, did you have a nice conversation with your parents?" he asked innocently.

"I can't believe you didn't warn me!" Seth said accusingly. "You just stood there, asking about Alex."

Ryan's goofy smile was infuriating, and to Seth's surprise Ryan started to giggle. "It was just too perfect. You're all, "Ask me about Alex! We made out! We're going to have sex!" Now Ryan was almost incoherent. "And then your dad walks in…" Ryan trailed off overcome with laughter.

Seth's scowl was thunderous. "You're going to pay for that, Atwood," he said coldly.

"I'm shaking in my boots, Cohen," he smirked.

"What are you? Channeling Summer now," Seth huffed.

He sat down on the bed.

"What are we going to do?"

Ryan turned to Seth, still smiling. "About what?"

"About the 'no sex' rule, man, what do you think?"

Ryan scratched his head, eyes flitting away from Seth. "I don't know."

"You don't know? We're not obeying it!" Seth was incredulous. "Are we?"

Ryan bit his lip, still not meeting Seth's eyes.

"Dude, we can't go back, can we? I mean, once you've done it, you can't _not_ do it any more, can you?"

Ryan grinned, "What physically?"

Seth rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah." Ryan paused. "It's just… I want to think about what they said. Maybe… I don't know… Maybe they know something."

Seth's snort of derision rattled the windows. He didn't believe his parents knew anything. About anything. "Dude, they're old. What do they know about young guys like us headed into our sexual prime? They're trying to repress us, bro'." He pointed a finger at Ryan. At Ryan's look, Seth raised his fist into the air. "Down with the Man!"

Ryan faltered somewhat, internally, at Seth's determination not to listen to his parents. He shrugged.

"It's not like it makes a difference for me right now. Lindsay and I are nowhere near that anyway." He got up off the bed.

"Yeah, well, Alex and I…"

Ryan held up a hand.

"Please. I really don't want to know."

Seth grinned and stood.

"Well, you think I can get up to my bedroom without running into the parents again?"

Ryan glanced toward the main house.

"Looks like it."

Seth held out a fist and they bumped knuckles.

"See you in the morning."

"'Night."

Ryan got ready for bed, and turning out the light, slipped under the covers.

In his mind, he went over the conversation he'd had with Kirsten and Sandy earlier in the evening.

_This is because we love you, OK? I know you don't believe me right now, but it is._

The thing was, he did believe her. He'd just never had love expressed to him this way – love demonstrated by being told "no." In the past love had been all indulgence, all "yes" – a toy, anything he wanted, to show him his mother still loved him even after she'd let one of her boyfriends beat on him; fumblings in the dark with Theresa, letting him go where she hadn't let any other boy go, comfort after a terrifying night with AJ and his drug-dealing buddies screaming and shooting and Trey kicked out of the house.

He'd been getting used to this new kind of love; this love that made him feel safe, more sure of himself, of Sandy, of Kirsten. A love that manifested itself in talks and gentle hands and words that encouraged and challenged and were consistent with the actions he saw around him. So, what did it mean to be told "no" in love? What did he do with that?

Ryan sighed, turning over on his side and pulling the covers up around him. He didn't really have to worry about this right now. But, when he did… he'd have some things to think about.

The End.


End file.
